Brightwell Blueberry

Brightwell Blueberry (Vaccinium virgatum 'Brightwell') is an upright rabbiteye blueberry that gives a long run of fruit through summer. It grows to about 2m to 3m tall and 2m wide in a dense, rounded shape, with pale pink bell flowers in spring and clusters of deep blue berries to follow. Rabbiteyes need less winter chill than highbush blueberries, which makes this a good pick for milder gardens.

Why you'll love it

• A long fruiting season. Brightwell ripens its berries over many weeks, so you pick handfuls through summer rather than facing one big flush.
• Needs less winter chill. As a rabbiteye it asks for fewer cold hours than highbush blueberries, which is why it suits milder climates.
• Pretty across the year. Pale pink bell flowers in spring, deep blue fruit in summer and good autumn colour. In cool climates the plant is deciduous.
• Feature shrub or informal hedge. The dense rounded habit looks tidy as a specimen, and a row of plants makes a loose fruiting hedge.
• Fruits while young. Blueberries crop from an early age, which makes them a rewarding plant to grow with children.

Where it works best

As a feature shrub. Give it a sunny corner of the veggie patch or lawn edge and pick straight from the bush. Allow about 2m of clear space around it.

Informal fruiting hedge. Plant 1.5m apart in a single row for a soft hedge of around 2m that gives berries as well as privacy.

A pollination pair. Rabbiteye blueberries fruit best planted beside other varieties. Plant Brightwell with the later fruiting Powder Blue or Premier for the heaviest crop.

Growing Brightwell Blueberry in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to part shade. Rabbiteyes are frost hardy and fruit well in heat and humidity, so Brightwell works across subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens. In cool climates it drops its leaves in winter after a good show of autumn colour.

Soil. Free draining, acid soil (around pH 4.5 to 5.5) with composted manure dug in before planting. Where the soil is alkaline, grow it in a large pot of acidic mix instead.

Water and feed. Lay a thick layer of mulch after planting to keep the shallow roots cool and moist, and water regularly through spring and summer while the berries swell. A light feed with an acid loving plant fertiliser in spring is plenty.

Pruning. Prune in mid winter, taking out weak, crossing and the oldest stems so the bush keeps making strong new wood. If pests turn up, organic eco-oil deals with them.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Brightwell Blueberry as tube stock: a young plant in an 80mm deep tube that establishes quickly and is the economical way to start several bushes. Plant it into prepared acid soil or pot it on, and mulch straight away.

Our grower supplies the tubes, so supply comes and goes. If the tube shows as sold out, the grower has none at the moment: press the notify button on the page and we will email you the day it is back.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Blueberry care guide for Australia
• Edible plants and bush tucker
• Fruit trees for the home garden
• How to lower soil pH for acid loving plants

Common questions

Do I need more than one blueberry plant?

It is best to. Blueberries fruit best planted alongside other varieties, rabbiteyes especially. Pair Brightwell with Powder Blue or Premier, which fruit later in the season, for the best crop.

My soil is alkaline. Can I still grow it?

Yes, in a container. Fill a large pot with an acidic mix made for azaleas and keep it watered. In the ground it needs soil that is naturally acid or has been made so.

When do the berries ripen?

Brightwell fruits through summer over a long season. Exact timing shifts with climate, earlier in warm gardens and later in cool ones.